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Planetary Union
The Planetary Union is a federation of space flight-capable species based at Planetary Union Central on Earth. The Union consists of science and exploratory vessels, a unified military, and a quasi-government overseeing affairs among colonies. The Union's history is almost completely obscure, including details of its foundation and development. History The Planetary Union was founded at an unknown date within the last 200 years as a federated supra-planetary government. According to Captain Ed Mercer, the combined fleet of the Union in the year 2419 is roughly 3,000 vessels spread across a single quadrant of the galaxy.Episode 1x01: Old Wounds. Union worlds abolish national governments in favor of membership. Members As of the end of 2420, the Planetary Union consists of over 300 planetary governments.Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1 *Earth (Humans): The host of Planetary Union Central, humans make up the vast majority of the crews of ships such as the as well as staff of facilities such as the Epsilon Science Station. *Moclus (Moclans): A controversial member of the Union, Moclus' values have clashed with those of the wider Union on several occasions aboard the Orville. Nevertheless, the alliance with Moclus is acknowledged as one of necessity.Episode 2x07: Deflectors *Xelaya (Xelayans): A race of academics, Xelayans typically look down on military organizations such as the Union Fleet, regarding humans as "the hillbillies of the galaxy". *''?'' (Retepsians) *''?'' (Gelatins) *''?'' (Katrudians) Unconfirmed The following worlds and species have had amicable relations with Union members. *Antares 2: Site of a Union school. *Deneb 3: A holiday site for Union citizens. *Elnath 4: This planet was saved from an oncoming asteroid by the in October 2419. *Arboreus Prime: A holiday site for Union citizens. *Alamak 3: The Union provides a vaccine shipment to this planet in 2420. *Keribex: A member of this race was in a relationship with a human. *Theta Draconis 4 (Thetan): A Moclan ship took shore leave on this planet, with a native having a romantic encounter with a member of the crew. Colonies *Epsilon system **Epsilon 2: Location of the Epsilon Science Station. **Epsilon 5 *Kastra 4: A brand new colony in late 2419.Episode 1x06: Krill *Chara 3: Colony destroyed by the Krill in late 2419.Episode 1x06: Krill *Rana 3: Hosts a population of 100,000 as of 2419.Episode 1x06: Krill *Jintann system **Jintann 8 **Jintann 9 Relations Union members maintain complex relations between each other. In October 2419, war was threatened between Moclus and other Union planets over the reassignment of Topa's sex, though the matter was finally resolved through a Moclan tribunal.Episode 1x03: About a Girl Many Xelayans regard Humans as "hill-billies of the galaxy:" an unrefined, military-obsessed species that neglects the sciences.Ildis Kitan in Episode 1x10: Firestorm The Union has sole authority to conduct and maintain relations with other non-member worlds: *Kaylon 1 (Kaylons): A civilization of artificial beings known for their notorious isolationism and racism, regarding themselves as superior to all biological life, Kaylon 1 were initially on friendly terms with the Union to the point that they assigned a representative to serve on a Union vessel in order to study the behavior of biological lifeforms. Once sufficient data had been acquired, the Kaylon would supposedly consider joining the Union.Episode 2x06: A Happy Refrain However, when their emissary returned home aboard the Orville, it was revealed that Kaylon had eradicated their humanoid creators, having grown to feel threatened by them, and had infact sent him to determine whether or not biological life beyond their planet was worth preserving, reaching the conclusion of the negative. In light of this, Kaylon Primary commandeered the Orville and launched an invasion of the Union, starting with Earth.Episode 2x08: Identity, Pt. 1 *Krill (Krill): Krill follow the Anhkana, a religious text that teaches that they are superior to all other life. Krill warships have attacked several Union colonies and vessels. There is no declared state of war between the Union and Krill, chiefly because a protracted conflict would jeopardize the stability of the Union.Episode 1x06: Krill. *Calivon: The Calivon are technologically more advanced and regard Union planets as inferior life forms. While the Calivon are not hostile towards the Union, they are dangerous, and the Union strictly forbids any avoidable contact with them. *Unuk 4: Visiting this planet is strictly forbidden by the Union due to its violent inhabitants who sacrifice anyone they can capture to a "raccoon god" by methodically dismembering them. *Lopovius (Navarians, Bruidians): Both species of Lopovius are neighbors and allies of the Union, but were engaged in a long dispute focused on a planet at the Union border. Neither species is original to Lopovius, but originate from another unnamed planet or planets. In early 2420, both species agree that the Union would serve as a neutral host in the interest of peace talks. *Horbalak: A race notorious for their smugglers, whom have been observed to be disrespectful towards the Union Fleet, with one refering to them as "goons".Episode 1x11: New Dimensions *Janisi: A fiercely matriarchal species, the Janisi naturally dismiss any males in a position of authority. On one occasion, however, Lieutenant Talla Keyali successfully earned their respect by punching her captain in the face to demonstrate her dominance, which lead to the Janisi providing their assistance in repairing the Union ship which had been crippled by the Krill.Episode 2x05: All the World is Birthday Cake Other contacts Launched under the command of Captain Ed Mercer in September 2419, the has made contact with a number of civilizations on behalf of the Union. *Dorahl Bioship (Dorahlians): The mobile home of a race who left their home planet two thousand years ago, the Bioship was visited by a team from the Orville, having discovered that the vessel was on a fatal course towards a star. Finding that the inhabitants believed themselves to be on a planet, the Union team confronted a theocratic government before revealing the truth of the Bioship, after which they arranged for the Union Fleet to send a special training crew to reacquaint the Dorahlians with their ship.Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear *Benzian: The Orville made a brief contact with this unfamiliar race when a ship traveled back from the 29th century in a failed attempt to claim the Union vessel.Episode 1x05: Pria *Sargus 4 (Sarguns): A humanoid society resembling 21st century Earth, Sargus 4's culture is that of majority rule, where a citizen's standing is determined by votes from their peers. A pair of undercover anthropologists from the Union were observing on this planet before their downvotes condemned them to Social Correction, with one being lobotomized in the process while the other was killed trying to escape. A Union crew member, part of a team sent from the Orville to recover the anthropologists, was almost subjected to the procedure after inadvertently committing a faux pas. In order to save him from being "corrected", a Sargun native was briefly taken aboard the Orville, where she guided the crew in manipulating the Master Feed which determined his fate, after which she was returned home but not without the suggestion that she could tell her world to "do better".Episode 1x07: Majority Rule *Habitable Moon: Home to a humanoid race whom had poisoned their biosphere in a war, this moon was stumbled upon by an Orville shuttle that had passed through a spatial anomaly, resulting in a confrontation with the disfigured inhabitants who were desperately trying to survive; among the Union party was Doctor Claire Finn, who was able to develop a cure for the toxin affecting the moon's population. After retrieving their residents, the Orville senior staff made a request for the Admiralty to send a medical crew to offer to help the people of the moon.Episode 1x08: Into the Fold *Two-dimensional space: Having passed into this version of reality through a spatial anomaly, the crew of the Orville were able to observe the inhabitants of two-dimensional space. They were, however, unable to make communications as their ways of existence proved incompatible.Episode 1x11: New Dimensions *Multiphasic Planet: Home to a humanoid race, this planet is distinct in that it exists in a multiphasic orbit, appearing in normal space for a matter of days before passing into another universe, where it spends 700 years only to reappear in normal space after only 11 days. In their initial visit to the planet, which was equivalent to Earth's Bronze Age, Orville first officer Kelly Grayson inadvertently became the central figure of a new religion when she healed a native using Union technology. When the planet next appeared, Grayson made an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to convince the people that she was not a god, leading to a continued religious divide which only ended when the Kaylon observer Isaac volunteered to stay on the planet in the third recorded stretch of 700 years, after which the natives themselves contacted the Orville, having advanced to a stage of interstellar travel equaling the Union. With both parties realizing that the Multiphasic Planet would advance millennia past the Union in a relatively short time from the latter's perspective, the planet's representatives predicted that they would be the ones studying the Union in that time while assuring Commander Grayson that the mythological "growing pains" would have occured in any case.Episode 1x12: Mad Idolatry *Nyxia (Nyxians): A humanoid civilization with no means of space travel nor confirmed knowledge of alien life prior to the Union, the Nyxians were forced to retreat underground as their sun slowly transformed into a red giant. They were only just saved from destruction as the Orville discovered them little more than a day prior to the end of their world, with an Orville shuttle recovering a group of about thirty five as others of their race stayed behind so they could escape.Episode 2x02: Primal Urges *Chak'tal: The Chak'tal and the Union share a mutual enemy in the Krill, having lost one of their colonies to them. Nevertheless, first contact proved less than amicable when Captain Mercer was forced to fight for survival alongside the Krill Teleya when the ship where he had been taken as a prisoner was attacked by the Chak'tal.Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes *Regor 2 (Regorians): A civilization governed by astrology, when the Orville received the first interstellar message sent by this world, "Is anyone out there?", they proceeded to make first contact with the utmost enthusiasm. Initially, the Regorians provided a warm welcome to the Orville party. However, a diplomatic incident soon occured when they learnt that two of the Orville representatives were born in the time of a certain astrological sign which they deemed a threat, resulting in them being arrested and detained for a period of a month which ended with a scheduled execution following a failed escape attempt. Fortunately, they were saved just in time by their ship, whose crew had by that point determined, thanks to an observation made by Lieutenant Talla Keyali, that the bad standing of the sign in question was caused by the disappearance of a star in the constellation of Giliac. By creating the illusion that the star had returned, the Orville crew caused a change in the perspective of the Regorians which led to the release of their people. Though it was realized that the Regorians' technology would eventually advance to the point that they would uncover the deception, Commander Grayson suggested that they would not care by that point.Episode 2x05: All the World is Birthday Cake Sections Command , Second Officer Bortus, and Commanding Officer Ed Mercer.]] Commanders are the heads of Union ships, and include the Commanding Officer, the Executive Officer (or more commonly "First Officer"), and the Second Officer. Commanders are typically the highest ranking officers aboard a ship, unless an Admiral is present, and are in charge of the Section chiefs. Commanders and executives use a silver insignia of the Planetary Union and wear a blue uniform. Science and Medical and her medical team working to save Bortus' life.]] The Science Officer works in stations of the Science department on a Union vessel. Responsibilities include research and analysis of all strange or unexplained phenomena,In conjunction with John LaMarr, Isaac was in charge of researching the impact of a mysterious spatial anomaly on the Orville. Episode 1x11: New Dimensions. data retrieved from sensor readings,Examples are ubiquitous. E.g., Isaac retrieves scanning data of a multiphasic planet, Episode 1x12: Mad Idolatry. and oftentimes assisting away teams.Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear. Science Officers often work in conjunction with engineers to research important, unexplained happenings. Medical Officers are specialists Science Officers who have attained the title of doctor or nurse. Science and Medical Officers both wear green uniforms as both are researchers of natural philosophy. The Science insignia is an atom-like emblem. The Medical insignia is a green cross surrounding an atom. The purview of Science and Medical sections is medicine, life sciences, astronomy, chemistry, biology, exobiology, mathematics, and computer science.Bond, Jeff. The World of the Orville. Titan Books. 2018. Pg. 32. Engineering and Chief Engineer John LaMarr.]] Engineering Officers are in charge the helm, navigation, and engineering, including the operation and maintenance of vessels and shuttlecraft. Their most crucial function is to maintain ships' quantum accelerators, which are responsible for faster-than-light travel. A sub-section of engineering is helm control. Engineering Officers can serve as pilots of ships, including the Navigator responsible for trajectory and the Helmsman responsible for flight. Engineering's insignia is engine gears and its uniform color is orange. Security briefing her security team.]] Security Officers are in charge of the safety of the ship's personnel and guests, and oversee the Brig. The section's insignia is wings over a shield and its uniform color is red. Ranks Hierarchy within the Planetary Union fleet is determined by rank, which is publicly identifiable through insignia displayed on the shoulders of the uniforms. Technology The Planetary Union boasts an impressive array of scientific and defensive technologies. Ships in the fleet traverse distances at a rate well in excess of the speed of light by using a quantum drive. Food and Matter Synthesizers come equipped in Union ships to provide necessary food and materials for extended travel. The Union is at the cusp of light and image projection technology. Shuttlecraft are capable of cloaking themselves. Environmental Simulators create entire simulated worlds for leisure and education. A major breakthrough came when the Union seized highly advanced holographic generation technology from the Calivon in October 2419, which scientists were able to adapt to their own purposes. The planet Moclus is a primary industrial location for weapons testing and manufacture for the Union. Ships come equipped with Plasma Torpedoes and Plasma Cannons. Handheld weapons include the plasma model line: the PM-32 for colonists, and the PM-44 and PM-488 Titan for officers. Other impressive technologies include Deflector Screens, tractor beams, implanted translating devices, and manipulation of quantum fields through quantum accelerators and quantum engines. Fleet According to both Admiral Halsey and Captain Ed Mercer, the Planetary Union Fleet consists of about 3,000 starships spread across the quadrant. Of them, nine ships have been identified as yet.Episode 1x01: Old Wounds. * [[USS Blériot|USS Blériot]]Episode 1x02: Command Performance. * [[USS Chanute|USS Chanute]]Mentioned by Commander Kelly Grayson as the ship of a particularly talented young lieutenant commander. Episode 1x01: Old Wounds * [[USS Clemens|USS Clemens]]Episode 1x03: About a Girl. * [[USS Druyan|USS Druyan]]Episode 1x04: If the Stars Should Appear. * [[USS Olympia (LCV-529)|USS Olympia]] (LCV-529) A Leviathan-class heavy cruiser and flagship of Admiral Ozawa.Episode Six: Krill. * [[USS Olympia (SCV-183)|USS Olympia]] (SCV-183) A non-military, scientific cruiser.Episode 1x09: Cupid's Dagger * [[USS Orville|USS Orville]] (ECV-197) * Episode 2x07: Deflectors Planetary Union Symphony Production . Seen here is probably Medical, Security, and Engineering (later changed to orange).|left]] Uniforms of the Planetary Union were created by wardrobe designer Joseph Porro, who went through over 100 designs until creator Seth MacFarlane settled on the current version.Wyckoff, Anna. "The Orville". Costume Designers Guild. Oct. 10, 2017. Fox released a promotional description of each Section in mid-August, 2017, in preparation for the series premiere.Fienberg, Daniel. "'X-Files' Diversity, 'Orville' Confusion Among Press Tour Highlights (and Lowlights) From Day 15". Hollywood Reporter. Aug. 9, 2017. The descriptions were included in an informational booklet as part of their 2017 press kits. Command Level: Those in the Command ranks oversee all aspects of the ship, with the primary goals of keeping its occupants - and those of the Planetary Union - safe. Science Level: As an exploratory vessel, The Orville requires top-notch scientists to aid in the investigation of of the unknown and help solve the riddles of the universe. Medical Bay: With space exploration comes the great unknown, and with it, the risk of injury or disease. Medical Officers aboard The Orville help keep the crew in tip-top shape. Engineering Level: It takes steady hands for the helmsman and navigator to steer through supernovas, black holes and asteroid fields - while the engineering officers and maintenance crew works at the speed of light in the heart of the ship. Security Level: Intergalactic exploration doesn't come without making a few enemies.Security Officers protect The Orville against its intergalactic foes, such as the dreaded Krill.@planetary_union. Untitled. Twitter. May 5, 2018. Trivia *The Planetary Union is often compared to the United Federation of Planets in the Star Trek franchise. *It is unknown how Isaac acquired the position Science Officer, as he is an observer on behalf on of Kaylon 1 and not a member of the Planetary Union.There's no official confirmation Science Officer is any different from other Union position and that it could be casually acquired by a civilian. *In addition to the orange sub-sections of engineering and helm, creator Seth MacFarlane has also referred to a sub-section called "Ship's Services."@SethMacFarlane. "Blue: Command. Red: Security. Green: Science and Medical. Orange: Engineering, Helm, and Ship’s Services.". Twitter. Jan. 17, 2019. Notes References Category:Planetary Union Category:Organizations